Scam awareness

Stay safe from scams

Scammers can threaten you with everything from turning off the power to your home to legal action. Don't fall victim to these types of scam. Utility scans often involve an individual or group posing as an employee of your local energy cooperative. The caller may use threatening language in order to frighten you into offering credit card or bank account information.

Jo-Carroll Energy wants to make sure you avoide any all types of scams that could put you or your financial information in jeopardy.

In the past year, various scams have targeted cooperative members across the state and nation:

A caller may ask for account and bill information, claiming they can reduce energy bills.

A scammer may threaten disconnection and demand immediate payment.

A scammer may also instruct payment must be made using prepaid cards.

Understand the threat scams pose and your best course of action:

Don’t assume you can trust caller ID as to where a caller is located. Scammers often use technology so the area code and number you see may not reflect where they really are calling from.

If you are ever contacted by phone about an account and have any concern about the validity of the call, don’t hesitate to tell the caller you prefer to call them back.

If you receive a suspicious call about your utility bill or account, gather as much information as you can from that individual, hang up the phone and contact local authorities and Jo-Carroll Energy. By calling the cooperative to report a suspicious call, members can talk to a member service representative who can confirm their bill and let them know if there are any problems with their account.

Get the caller’s name if you can.

Get the phone number off caller ID.

Never give your account number, credit card number, bank information or other personal information over the phone without verifying the call.

Note that if a Jo-Carroll Energy account goes unpaid, the cooperative’s own billing or member service department sends a delinquent notice in the mail. A courtesy call may also be made by a member service representative.

Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives is a national network of electric cooperatives across 46 states that provides resources and leverages partnerships to help member cooperatives and their employees better engage and serve their members. By working together, Touchstone Energy cooperatives stand as a source of power and information to their 32 million member-owners every day.